Europiella Reuter, 1909

Yasunaga, Tomohide, 2022, The plant bug subfamily Phylinae in Japan, with key to genera and descriptions of eight new species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae), Zootaxa 5094 (1), pp. 1-52 : 11-14

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.5094.1.1

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:72F6E1D9-E9E4-41F6-9AC0-97A249F94E68

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6302535

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/AC7FEA3B-0807-FFE4-FF78-F8EDFA487375

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Europiella Reuter, 1909
status

 

Genus Europiella Reuter, 1909 View in CoL View at ENA

Europiellomorpha Duwal , in Duwal et al., 2014: 391 (n. gen.),

type species: Plagiognathus lividellus Kerzhner, 1979 View in CoL

[= Europiella lividella ], original designation; Duwal et al., 2016: 111 (catalog). N. syn.

Diagnosis: This Holarctic genus is primarily recognized by the following characters: Small to moderate size (total length 2.1–4.7 mm); body form varying from elongate to ovoid; coloration variable from almost completely pale green or yellowish to widely dark brown; dorsum with pale or brown simple setae and silvery lanceolate setae; relatively small eyes; elongate right paramere that is obviously longer than left; and sigmoid vesica with two pointed apical blades. In Japanese species, the males are elongate and nearly parallel-sided whereas the females are short and ovoid; the immature forms are generally pale green or yellowish even in dark species (cf. Yasunaga, 2001d). Detailed generic diagnosis was provided by Schuh (2004).

Discussion. Europiella and Plagiognathus were liable to be confused with each other (e.g., Yasunaga, 1999), until Schuh (2001, 2004) suggested the definitive diagnosis for each genus. Europiella species are primarily characterized by the features mentioned above and known to be associated with herbaceous plants (mostly in Asteraceae ). Japanese Plagiognathus species are recognized by the dorsal vestiture pattern (dark, simple setae only and always lacking silvery setae) and the ventral surface of the metafemur with distinctly enlarged dark spots or maculae that sometimes form two or three rows ( Yasunaga, 2016).

Duwal et al. (2014) proposed a new genus Europiellomorpha Duwal to accommodate E. lividella (Kerzhner) . However, the suggested generic diagnostic characters are shared by Europiella (cf. Schuh, 2004) and the present close examination on E. lividella could not recognize any apomorphy or unique character for the generic level definition (e.g., Figs. 5E View FIGURE 5 , 6D View FIGURE 6 , 21 View FIGURE 21 M−N). Therefore, Europiellomorpha is herein regarded as a junior synonym of Europiella .

Incidentally, the identities of two closely related species in Japan, namely Europiella artemisiae (Becker, 1864) ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ) and E. decolor (Uhler, 1893) ( Fig. 5B–D View FIGURE 5 ), have been confused. Kerzhner (1988) reported E. decolor from seashore on Etorofu Island, Chishima Islands, and the dark, small-sized Europiella species known from all other parts of Japan was considered to match E. artemisiae ( Yasunaga, 2001d) . However, the present work revealed that E. artemisiae is restricted to cold temperate climatic zone (Hokkaido and Tohoku area of Honshu) whereas the populations that occur in central and southwestern Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu represent E. decolor . Each species can be separated by the biometrics ( Table 2 View TABLE 2 ) and genitalic structures ( Figs. 4E–F View FIGURE 4 ; 20A–I View FIGURE 20 ). Although E. senjoensis ( Linnavuori, 1961) ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 E−F) is also characterized by its dark general coloration, this Artemisia -inhabiting phyline has the larger-sized body and is considered to be endemic to the central highlands of Honshu ( Yasunaga, 1999; 2001d).

Yasunaga (2001d) also suspected what has been identified solely as E. miyamotoi ( Kerzhner, 1988) may comprise a few sibling species similarly sharing a moderate-sized body and pale green or yellowish general coloration (cf. Figs. 5F–L View FIGURE 5 , 6A–C View FIGURE 6 ), such as E. leucopus (Kerzhner, 1979) , E. livida (Reuter, 1906) or E. gilva (Kulik, 1965) (cf. Fig. 7 View FIGURE 7 ) known from the Russian Far East and Korean Peninsula. This study eventually verifies the occurrence of two undescribed species different from these continental elements.

As argued by Schuh (2004), Europiella contains confusable members. In Japan, some species have been often confused or misidentified as mentioned above, because of their great similarity in the external appearance and intraspecific variation in coloration and/or size. The following key would aid in unequivocal identification of Japanese congeners.

Key to Japanese species of Europiella

1. Dorsum generally pale green, pale olive green or in dry-preserved specimen often pale brown; extreme base (knee) of each base of meso- and metatibia not darkened...................................................................... 2

– Dorsum (at least pronotum) darkened or grayish brown, not tinged with green (if dorsum pale green, then bases of meso- and metatibia each with a dark knee-spot, cf. Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ); extreme base (knee) of each base of meso- and metatibia darkened or with a dark spot............................................................................................ 6

2. Ventral surface of metafemur with 3-4 dark, rounded spots ( Fig. 6D View FIGURE 6 )..................................... E. lividella

– Ventral surface of metafemur with numerous small dark spots.................................................. 3

3. Apical 2/3-3/4 of ventral surface of metafemur clearly spotted ( Fig. 6C View FIGURE 6 )............................. E. nihonica n. sp.

– Basal half of ventral surface of metafemur lacking spot or only with small faint spots............................... 4

4. Body pale or yellowish green when alive ( Fig. 5J View FIGURE 5 ); in male vertex (interocular space) as wide as an eye in dorsal view; metafemur longer than 1.5 mm (♂)/ 1.4 mm (♀); associated with Asteraceae View in CoL hosts in northern Japan......... E. miyamotoi View in CoL

– Body pale olive green when alive ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5 G−H); in male vertex wider than an eye in dorsal view; metafemur shorter than 1.4 mm in both sexes; found from Laminaceae herbs in southwestern Japan............................... E. isodonicola n. sp.

5. Body larger, total length> 4mm (♂)/ 3.3 mm (♀); pronotum shiny fuscous ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 E−F); mesotibia longer than basal width of pronotum; length of metatibia> 2 mm ............................................................ E. senjoensis View in CoL

– Body length <3.6 mm (♂)/ 3.2 mm (♀); pronotum weakly shining, relatively matte; length of mesotibia about as long as or shorter than basal width of pronotum; length of metatibia <1.8 mm ............................................. 6

6. In male, antennal segment II as long as or longer than basal width of pronotum; in female, antennal segment III almost equal in length to head width across eyes; male vesica and female posterior wall as in Figs. 4E View FIGURE 4 ; 20A, D–F............ E View in CoL View FIGURE 20 . artemisiae

– In male, antennal segment II obviously shorter than basal width of pronotum; in female, antennal segment III shorter than head width across eyes; male vesica and female posterior wall as in Figs. 4F View FIGURE 4 ; 20B–C, G–I......................... E View in CoL View FIGURE 20 . decolor

TABLE 2. Measurements for Europiella artemisiae and E. decolor. Abbreviations—L: length, Pron: pronotum, Vtx: vertex (interocular space), W: width.

Europiella   Body L Head W Vtx W Pron W Max W II Antenna L III IV Tibia L Meso Meta
artemisiae MEAN 3.20 0.67 0.35 0.97 1.17 0.98 0.68 0.42 1.01 1.70
Male (N=7) MAX MIN SD 3.45 2.96 0.21 0.71 0.63 0.03 0.39 0.32 0.02 1.04 0.89 0.06 1.22 1.11 0.04 1.05 0.90 0.06 0.78 0.60 0.07 0.45 0.39 0.02 1.08 0.92 0.06 1.77 1.64 0.06
Female (N=5) MEAN MAX 3.00 3.11 0.64 0.66 0.38 0.39 0.98 1.05 1.28 1.38 0.87 0.89 0.64 0.71 0.43 0.47 0.92 0.93 1.62 1.77
  MIN SD 2.84 0.11 0.63 0.01 0.36 0.01 0.93 0.05 1.19 0.09 0.84 0.02 0.60 0.05 0.39 0.03 0.90 0.01 1.50 0.11
decolor MEAN 2.83 0.62 0.32 0.86 1.06 0.80 0.57 0.36 0.86 1.46
Male (N=5) MAX MIN SD 2.99 2.47 0.21 0.65 0.60 0.02 0.33 0.30 0.01 0.92 0.75 0.06 1.16 0.92 0.09 0.86 0.71 0.06 0.60 0.50 0.05 0.41 0.33 0.03 0.92 0.78 0.05 1.55 1.32 0.08
Female MEAN 2.62 0.60 0.35 0.89 1.14 0.72 0.52 0.32 0.78 1.33
(N=4) MAX MIN SD 2.79 2.50 0.15 0.62 0.59 0.02 0.38 0.35 0.02 0.92 0.87 0.02 1.20 1.08 0.06 0.75 0.68 0.04 0.57 0.48 0.04 0.33 0.32 0.01 0.84 0.75 0.04 1.37 1.26 0.05

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hemiptera

Family

Miridae

Tribe

Phylini

SubTribe

Oncotylina

Loc

Europiella Reuter, 1909

Yasunaga, Tomohide 2022
2022
Loc

Europiellomorpha

Duwal 2014
2014
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